Sir Edgar Martin Skinner, III, D. D.
Commodore and Chaplain
(Biographical Extracts)
Contents: 1. Notable Recognition 2. Private Clubs 3. Education 4. Family 5. Favorite Saying
1. Notable Recognition:
A. INAUGURAL APPOINTMENT Appointed to the 12-man Executive Committee of the 1980 Presidential Inaugural Finance Committee, for the 1981 inauguration of President Reagan. Received official certificate and personal letter of appreciation from the President, the first of many subsequent letters from the President.
B. COMMENDED IN CONGRESS Commended in the US Congressional Record for leading nation-wide support of UN World Food Program, while serving as CEO for the world’s largest professional management association, The National Management Association, with 65,000 members.
C. PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT Commended for initiatives while serving as senior-level, Presidential appointee, as the first ever to sit in singular regulatory authority over all airlines, truckers, railroads, sea carriers, public utilities and their respective regulatory agencies.
D. CONGRESSIONAL APPOINTMENT Commended for service as a senior-level, U. S. Congressional appointee to a congressional commission. Drafted legislation. Helped orchestrate Congressional hearing.
E. PRESIDENTIAL YACHT Appointed as Commodore of the former Presidential Yacht, SEQUOIA. Founder and CEO of The Presidential Yacht Trust to preserve the yacht as a historic preservation project. The title “Commodore” was formally acknowledged by President Reagan and other Washington leaders.
F. KEY TO CITY Awarded with Key to the City and named Honorary Citizen of Fort Worth, Texas.
G. KEY TO CITY Awarded Key to the City of Waterloo, Iowa
H. HONORARY ADMIRAL Named "Admiral" of the "Panama City (Fla.) Navy."
I. BANKERS CLUB LEADER Received award as founder and Chairman of the Bankers Club Forum, Miami (Fla.), bringing notable speakers, ranging from the President of the United States to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
J. NAVAL SHIP COMMENDATION Named "A dynamic Patriot" by the “officers and men” of the Navy destroyer, LOWE, for leading central Florida to obtain a custom-made high speed boat with supper-power Mercury engine, and have it shipped to the Lowe (to his friend, Charlie Johnson (Executive Officer) for use in search and seizure operations off the coast of Viet Nam. The Navy’s first “swift boat?”
K. KNIGHTED Formally knighted as a Knight Templar by the Commandery of the York Rite (along with his son, Sir Edgar IV) during his 50th year as a free mason in Composite Lodge # 293, Orlando with the following bestowed: 1) Past Master 2) Most Excellent Master 3) The Royal Arch 4) Illustrious Order of the Red Cross 5) Order of Malta 6) Order of the Temple (Knight Templar of the Commandary)
L. ENLIGHTENED Elevated to be a 32nd degree mason of the Scottish Rite, Orlando, with the following bestowed: 1) Secret Master 2) Perfect Master 3) Knight of the Nile 4) Knight Rose Croix 5) Grand Pontiff 6) Knight of the Brazen Serpent 7) Knight Commander of the Temple 8) Inspector Inquisitor 9) Master of the Royal Secret (32nd degree) .
J. INDUSTRY COMMENDATION Commended by top industry leader for major, national legislative success. Achieved success by hiring the President’s former personal attorney to convince the President to veto a labor bill that all of the nation’s industry efforts were unable to accomplish. A year later, when the bill was brought up in the congress again, it was voted down . . . on his birthday (a silent gesture)
K. PRAISED AS CHAPLAIN Awarded over three times for exceptional service as Chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Formally praised by his Paster for works with wife, Esther, while commissioned by the church as Extraordinary Ministers of Holly Communion. Awarded the honor degree (MOC) of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as member of Post 9610, and given a lifetime membership.
L. CHAMBER RECOGNITION Named Best Committee Chairman, twice by Orlando Jr. Chamber of Commerce and commended by the Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce for successfully running (as a consultant) the Resort Tax Campaign in Volusia County, to fund the new Ocean Center for medium-size conventions, exhibits and community activities.
M. POLITICAL RECOGNITION Awarded "Best Campaign Manager and Assistant Chairman" for the 1968 Florida Republican Presidential campaign.
N. HONORARY DEGREE Awarded honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity, from World Christianship Ministries, while serving as an ordained Christian chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
O. AWARD AS PRESIDENT Awarded plaque as President of the fastest growing chapter (Orlando) in the country, from the Data Processing Management Association. In a dying chapter, as the new president he arranged for a “stripper” as the guest speaker of a monthly meeting, . . . and the rest was history.
P. MILITARY RECOGNITION Joined the Navy Reserve (submarine training) while in high school. Dropped out of high school and joined the Regular Army. Trained as a Combat Engineer (construction and explosives) and rated as an Engineer Construction Foeman. Appointed to the Special Category of thee Army Reassigned to the Air Force (SCARWAF), a special forces unit at K-2 air base in Taegu, Korea. Recognition: 1) Army Commendation Medal 2) Two medals from the mayor of Mulegum, Korea 3) Army Good Conduct Medal 4) Nav Good Conduct Medal 5) American Defense Service Medal 6) National Defense Service Medal 7) Korean Service Medal 8) Naval Reserve Medal 9) United Nations Korean Service Medal 10) ROK Korean War Service Medal 11) Combat Service Comm. Medal 12) Presidential Unit Citation 13) Korean Presidential Unit Citation Comm. 14) United Nations Military Service Comm. Medal 15) Overseas Service Comm. Medal 16) U. S. Army Medal 17) Honorable Service Comm. Medal
Q. SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT
Elected Senior Class President, Florida Southern College.
R. STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT Elected Student Body President & Best All-around Student, Orlando Jr. College,
2. Private Clubs:
A. Bankers Club (Miami, Fla.) B. Capitol Hill Club (D. C.) C. Touchdown Club (D. C.) D. Racquet Club (Dayton, Ohio) E. Halifax Club (Daytona Beach, Fla.) F. Palm Beach Pundits (Palm Beach, Fla.) G Bahia Shrine Temple (Orlando, for over 40 years}
3. Schools:
A. Cambridge Elementary (Maryland) B. Staunton Military Academy (Staunton, Va.) C. Orlando Highschool D. Edgewater Highschool (Orlando) E. Orlando Jr. College F. Florida Southern College (Lakeland, Fla.) G. IBM Advanced Computer Training Institute (New York state)
4. Family:
Born in Cambridge, Maryland, 1935, as the oldest grandson of Col. Albanus Phillips, Chairman and CEO of Phillips Delicious canned foods and Sara Lee frozen products, and related companies in Cambridge, Maryland. The company was at par with Campbell Soups and employed about half the population of Cambridge. The company also donated all the food for Admiral Richard Bird’s famous Antarctic expeditions.
Admiral Bird named an Antarctic mountain range after Phillips, the “Albanus Phillips Mountain Range” and invited Phillips’ grandson, Edgar, to join him on a future Antarctic exploration as the first Boy Scout ever so to do.”
Moved to Orlando in 1950. Served in the Army 1953 - 1956. Hired by IBM for computer sales upon graduating from Florida Southern College in 1960.
Accepted White House appointment in 1970 and spent the next 11 years engaged in national public affairs.
Became sidelined from full-time work after open-heart surgery in 1982 was aggravated by a former injury while in the armed services, limiting normal activities to about 4 hours at a time. Subsequent stroke in 1986 caused near-total amnesia, which was greatly overcome from years of self-rehabilitation.
Joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars and served as an ordained Chaplain for several years, using that 4 hours at a time limitation to minister to the sick and dying veterans in the Palm Beach County area. Finally learned the virtues of humility.
Moved back to Daytona Beach in 1995 (a place he often called his “play-pen” and regularly visited for over 40 years) to assist his and his wife Esther’s mothers.
Wife, Esther, who he always referred to as his “Precious Princess,” died Dec. 7, 2001.
Subsequently very much home-bound, but stayed in touch with national affairs and provided selected advice to Presidents and other national leaders.
Children: Edgar IV, Mary Jane, Gregory, Heather, Christopher, Tracy, and growing grandchildren with one great grandchild.
5. Favorite saying:
“You will discover that noone is better than you, once you realize that noone is lesser than you.”
- EMS III